Decided to check back in with the hottest rivalry in Dallas-Fort Worth minor-league basketball. The two teams, the Dallas Generals and the North Texas Fresh, were set to face off again tonight in Fort Worth.
UPDATE: Despite the announcement by the Generals posted below, I’m now told that tonight’s game is a go. They will play. And then they will take a break, as noted below. The rest of their December games are being rescheduled.
Fresh owner Jay Bowdy told me late last week that the American Basketball Association still hadn’t made a decision about the outcome of the disputed Dec. 5 game, but that he was posting it as a victory on his own website. Never heard back from the Generals people.
And so I jump on the Dallas Generals site today. Apparently they’re out of business until January. Doesn’t bode well for a team that just launched:
In the best interest of our business, our players, sponsors, supporters, and ultimately our fans, the Dallas Generals Basketball organization has decided to take a momentary step back from operations in order to preserve the long term survival of our brand and our company’s future. When this vision first began to unfold, we could only make calculated guesses about what its manifestation would actually look like. The Dallas Generals organization is doing many things that have not yet been done at the ABA level, and there is no prototype for creating something altogether new. The element of creativity and progressiveness that the Dallas Generals is bringing to the league nullifies the option to follow pre-existing templates. Much of what we are doing has yet to be seen at this level of professional basketball.
In doing so, we have welcomed the growing pains that come with going where many fear to go and doing what others view as impossible at this level. We welcome the battle scars in forging ahead because we believe in the power of this vision. We are committed to what it will bring to this sport, this league, this city and the people in it.
Our first time out of the gate on Saturday- December 5th told us a few things. Firstly, it told us that we have a fantastic product in the Dallas Generals, as 2000+ fans enjoyed the experience. Secondly, it showed us that some polishing and some tweaking are needed to maximize our full potential. Thirdly, it told us that our organization needs to take the time now, rather than later, to regroup and increase the company’s capacity to properly and permanently support the Dallas Generals brand and fan base with a much higher level of professionalism, customer service, and integrity.
The strength of the vision and the power of our brand forced us to review our infrastructure. The result is that we are taking the necessary time to make swift and efficient changes to insure that our company’s infrastructure and image are consistent at all times and on all points.
We will resume our home games on Saturday — January 2, 2010!!! We will entertain you with more of the same above-the-rim excitement from our players that was seen on the court on December 5th. The Lady Generals and Lil’ Lady Generals will continue to dazzle you with their routines and choreography. Our marching band & drum-line will once again deliver a performance that is second to none.
We are excited about the things that are still to come for the Dallas Generals 2009 -2010 season, our fans and our city. We have been delayed by a minor setback that we believe is the foundation for a major comeback. We thank you in advance for your continued support, and hope that you will stay on board as we prepare to give you the Dallas Generals Re-Loaded.
Jan. 2 is a pretty quick comeback. Looks like they plan to only miss a few games.
